Calling for a Revolution: An Analysis of IoT Manifestos

Designers and developers are increasingly writing manifestos to express frustration and uncertainty as they struggle to negotiate between the possibilities that IoT technologies offer and the ethical concerns they engender. Manifestos are defining of a “moment of crisis” and their recent proliferation indicates a desire for change. We analyze the messages manifesto authors have for their readers. Emerging from a sense of uncertainty, these manifestos create publics for debate, demand attention and call for change. While manifestos provide potential roadmaps for a better future, they also express a deep concern and even fear of the state of the world and the role of technology in it. We highlight how practitioners are responding to unstable and rapidly changing times and detail what solutions they envision, and what conflicts these might bring about. Our analysis suggests new ways HCI might theorize and design for responsibility while attending to the perils of responsibilisation.